New UN initiative targets unpaid care gap that keeps millions of women out of the workforce

UN Women has launched a renewed push to transform the global care economy. The initiative advocates for the “5Rs” framework: recognizing, reducing and redistributing unpaid care work, while rewarding and representing paid care workers. Key proposals include implementing universal care policies, increasing public investment and engaging men and boys in household responsibilities. UN notes that women and girls spend 2.5 times more hours per day on unpaid care work than men and 45% of working age women globally (708 million) aren’t in the labor market because of unpaid care responsibilities, compared with just 5% of men.